As soon as Uraraka had been freed and the security console smashed to bits the fight began, the winner receiving all the glory of top villain and bragging rights. He'd been fending off Ronaldo easily for the first ten minutes of the sparring yet Yoshizawa knew he was slipping as his attacks and blocks became sloppy, a blade coming dangerously close to his face for his liking. Yet he didn't want the glory, the bragging rights, or even the feeling of accomplishment. More than anything else he just wanted to rid another monster from the world before his time extinguished. The fact that Ronaldo had been behind everything shouldn't have come as a surprise. Because he'd been so distracted by Uraraka and the U.A. students and pros, he gave in to a moment of vulnerability and his right-hand man took the golden opportunity to alter his plans. Their blades clashed violently with each pushing as hard as possible to throw the other off, a tight jaw on his end and a gleeful crow from Ronaldo.

"Isn't this fun? I've had fun torturing the servants and staff of this abode, but nothing tastes better than the fact that your blood runs freshly over my blade, Yoshizawa. Don't you agree?" Ronaldo grinned as he pivoted his foot to get a better grip before exerting more force on his blade. Yoshizawa slipped back and the blade followed with a quick slash of his cheek. He felt the crimson run hot down his skin but swiftly countered by nicking his opponents shoulder. A flick of his wrist removed the tainted substance from the family heirloom as Ronaldo merely traced his finger down his blade, squishing the blood between his fingers slowly. Shortly into the fight his mask had been swiped off and discarded on the sullied floor, the aged material finally splitting in half from the force of impact.

"You've certainly got an inkling towards blood, Ronaldo,"

"An inkling? Good sir, I absolutely relish as steaming crimson flows from the human body. It's nearly enlightening while it trails down each crevice and curve in its path of freedom from its flabby container that does nothing more than rot away as the years pass by. Blood can tell me more about a person than an afternoon of reminiscing with life stories over some coffee and scones. Just like how that puddle of blood over there where your hostage was being confined so nicely, tells me she won't make it back to the Western edge of the island because it's staining the halls and floors of this crumbling mansion. How much do you think she lost? A quarter? A third? Half of her entire body volume? You know, when it gets to a point like that the heart just kind of stops—"

"Enough of your tongue! If it weren't for Uraraka persisting to help, then she would've ended up in a far worse fate thanks to you changing my plans after you've been warned from the beginning to never use it against me! You're a traitor Ronaldo, and there's only one way treachery is dealt within the Isoruko household." Yoshizawa lunged forward with his blade swinging up from his side, both hands readied to plunge the blade through his enemy. Sharp pain radiated through his abdomen yet he persisted by using his arm to redirect the offending blade as it penetrated skin and muscle easily.

The two jolted to a pause as blades jutted out their backs. Blood sloshed on the once pristine marble floors when both men released pained breaths. Yoshizawa had managed to redirect the blade lower and angle outward so the damage would be minimal yet a growing suspicion had him thinking it at least nicked his liver or kidneys. His blade had managed to slip dead centered through Ronaldo's chest, the blade curving upward on his backside to inflict more internal damage. Both men had sustained major injuries although the fight wasn't over just yet. Yoshizawa panted heavily as the two reached a brief stalemate, sweat stinging his eyes. He hadn't fought this hard in a long time and it was obvious Ronaldo had kept up with his training with each overpowering move.

"Checkmate. Beautifully done, Yoshizawa. I've never seen someone react so quickly to an oncoming blade and divert course after it's punctured skin already. You were trained well. Bravo." Ronaldo spoke with bloody spittle dribbling from his lips. His opponent swallowed hard as he tried to force his focus away from the pain. Adrenaline pumping through his veins kept a good portion of it low, but it would kick in soon enough once his body detected major internal bleeding. He hoped it would at least be a swift death.

"You can thank the private trainers I hired with father's money for that. The older I got, the more ruthless he became so it was essential I had some form of self-defense against the monster. Funny enough, Ronaldo you remind me exactly of how my father was and I must say, it seemed to have an influence on this spar of ours. The moment I remove my sword is when you will fall to the ground dead. Of course, I won't be making it out so well either considering you've punctured vital organs."

"Your memory must be fading in your old age, Yoshizawa, because I remember telling you that my future has already been planned out for me. I escape, you and that student die. Forget that already?" Ronaldo sighed as if tired of explaining things, shaking his head slowly with pursed lips.

"Are you just going to walk out of here with my blade stuck in your chest cavity? It would be a disgraceful way to end the Isoruko lineage, though it wasn't a very proper and pure one to begin with." Yoshizawa dryly mused as he tightened his grip on his pommel with shaky hands. It felt like he was slowly losing all of his enhanced strength bestowed upon him by Dabi. Whatever was in that shot wasn't meant to be long lasting or he'd used it all up fighting Deku and his friends in the basement. Either way his end was nearing.

"I wouldn't want such a tarnished thing to remain in my body longer than necessary so you can have it back!" Ronaldo suddenly cocked his leg back to slam it against Yoshizawa's chest, effectively separating the two with a grotesque squelch. Blood soared through the air before raining down over the two downed villains with a heavy tangy smell.

"Just die already you…you damned…fool…" Yoshizawa trailed off as he watched Ronaldo literally melt away into a puddle on the floor, the putrid liquid bubbling before slowly dissolving away. He pushed himself onto his elbow as he stared at the spot where his former butler once stood before heavily sighing with his head hung in defeat. He should've known. There was no way he would risk keeping himself in a crumbling mansion after announcing his plans to keep the Quantum Council going. "It would seem that…I am the damned fool in this game…"

"That would be correct, Paranoias!"

Slow clapping filled the room as Dabi emerged from behind a burbling vat with a grin. The villain stopped just a few feet short of the crippled old man lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. How sad that a man who had such great ideas crumbled into the pathetic heap lying on the floor before him. Ah well. Not like they didn't have another willing subject waiting back at the hideout. "Seems you do have some intelligence left in that mind of yours. I'm surprised you didn't figure out that this has been going on the entire time. Ronaldo hasn't been here for weeks, yet you're only figuring this out now? I think all of that ammonia has gone to your head."

"No, I've had a hunch that something has gone awry with the man who always ensured everything was planned to a tee, albeit I was just an idiot who didn't want to believe it." Paranoias chuckled dryly before coughing up a glob of blood. Damn, he'd shifted the blade upwards when falling so now it was hitting other organs. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes to internally bleed out. And his last talk was with the man who'd stabbed him with the quirk booster. Did he know it had a time limit? "I have no doubts as to why you're here, Dabi. Loose ends and all that from All for One? I was half hoping that strange substance you gave me would do the trick but apparently not."

"Believe it or not old man, the boss doesn't know I'm here right now so think of it as a personal visit between friends. Seeing as you're suffering, I figured it would be best to just help you out of your pain, Yoshizawa Isoruko." Dabi merely shrugged as he strolled to the large windows with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Lazy eyes scanned over the battlefield; the Nomu were holding surprisingly well against the heroes, but they weren't taking it easy by any means. Flames instantly caught his eye and a heavy sneer twisted his features. There he was the number one hero in all of Japan punching his way through the Nomu and villains without a second thought in order to protect the world from the big, scary villains. How he loathed the monster he used to call father.

"If you're going to finish this Dabi, then do so before I die of old age or boredom. Even for a clone Ronaldo has dealt some serious damage to my body. I'd rather die with what miniscule speck of dignity I have left on my own terms."

"Where's the fun in that? After going through all the trouble of experimenting and then kidnapping Izuku Midoriya's classmate, you're just going to give up? By the way, where did she get to? Don't tell me you released her so the pros can get her back." Yoshizawa chuckled lowly and the villain turned a raised brow to him. Damn, he was a stubborn one. He should've bled out by now but there he was still having a casual conversation.

"It was never my plan to kidnap her, All for One gave his orders then my butler had the opportune chance to alter my plans so he did without hesitation. I never intended to harm her because the rules I set for the Quantum Council avoided reckless bodily harm, if it can be helped. What good does it do me to harm a hero still learning to control her powers? That's no different than killing a child and I am vehemently against such a crime. If you think about it though, she at least gave me some solace in my last moments on earth. Something you'll probably never know with your long list of kills."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Dabi turned away from the window to watch the leader of the Quantum Council hastily rip out the blade piercing his body before rolling to his knees. He would be stupid to fight in his condition so what was he doing?

"That my perceived memory of my mother was incorrect for so many years. She was protecting me, not just standing by as my father tortured me. Maybe I was hallucinating at that point, but it was almost as if my mother was being channeled through Ochaco Uraraka to ease my soul in my last hour of life. I knew then that things needed to end for good. I may not get into heaven, but surely hell will welcome me with open arms." Yoshizawa forced himself to his feet with a hand against his abdomen. The white of his gloves quickly became stained crimson. It was coming out too fast to stanch the flow so he didn't bother trying to apply pressure. This would all be over soon enough.

"Huh. Whatever works for you I guess. Say hello to the heroes for me. Now, I don't have all day so let's get this party started, huh?" Dabi shrugged before lashing out and grabbing the villain by the front of his stained and tattered suit. One charcoaled freak show coming up. Yoshizawa didn't seem the least bit bothered about his fate and it disappointed the hellfire quirk holder. He could at least struggle a little. "You've got a pretty nice cape, hope it helps you when you go flying out that window there. Any last words?"

"Tell All for One that his end is nigh for there is a hero who has surpassed All Might himself. Oh, and that I'll see both you and him in hell." Yoshizawa gave an easy smile accompanied by a gentle patting of Dabi's face. A boisterous laugh slipped from the flame villains mouth as he escorted his friend over to the windows.

"I hope you like it hot, Yoshizawa Isoruko, because it's gonna be a sauna where you're going!"

His hands ignited the villain with ease in a bright blue flame before slamming him up against the glass with enough force to shatter it. As soon as the gap was large enough, Dabi chucked the man through and watched as he fell towards the battlefield raging on below. Just as he turned to explode the vat of toxin to his left, a flash of red and white caught his attention so he turned his full focus on it. Little Shoto running away with his rescued classmate, how sweet. Even his teachers were here alongside the man who'd brought him into the world. They hadn't skimped on muscle for their mission as many higher end pro heroes were running rampant through the mansion. How annoying. Good thing he wasn't physically in the building as he would've been blown up with the rest of them. Picking up a piece of debris from the earlier skirmish Dabi chucked it at the vat and grinned as it created a crack in the glass, the green substance slowly but surely leaking out into the room.

"Enjoy the fireworks, heroes."


Deku had just seconds left to try and catch Paranoias as he fell from the observation windows above, yet as he neared the stench of burning flesh hit his nose and he had to hold back the gag forming. Blue flames were licking at every inch of his body while he fell and the hero had a heavy suspicion that the villain was already deceased, but he still needed to try to catch him. There were too many questions he had for the villain that needed answered. He may have started off kidnapping Uraraka, but if he truly was the one to help her escape…

"Midoriya, get away from him he's too far gone!" Eraser Head's voice rang out and just before his hands could grab Yoshizawa, tight bindings yanked him backwards with incredible force that strained his joints and popped his spine painfully. It knocked the absolute wind out of him and it took a few seconds to be able to suck in a breath again. "Hawks, Uraraka is out of the building! Paranoias has been killed by Dabi! Get everyone the hell out of here!"

"Dabi? Shit. This isn't good. Most forces have been removed, Eraser, get yourself out before this place blows. Endeavor is already pulling his squads to the secondary evacuation points."

"I can still—!" Deku retorted only to be forcefully swung back towards the wall where heroes awaited to catch him. Aizawa didn't spare a second glance back as he flung himself forward with the intent to catch the burning villain with his scarf. He wouldn't let another student get injured, not on his watch. It was most likely a lost cause catching the flambéed villain although there was still the chance of him being alive. Which meant forcing information from him about his deal with All for One and the League.

"We're going, kid," Snipe ordered as he helped steady the student before latching onto his arm and running towards the waiting helicopters. Deku didn't fight it yet he couldn't keep his eyes off of his teacher catching the burning body of Paranoias before slipping from sight. Was he going back to save him or finish the job?

"What about Mr. Aizawa? We can't leave him down there! Let me go, I can help!"

"Midoriya, it's not your mission anymore. This whole place could be about to blow and take a large portion of heroes with it if we don't get out now. Your safety is priority as students so let Eraser Head handle it. Trust me, I've known him long enough to know he can handle himself in situations like this. Have more faith in your teachers."

Helicopter blades whirled loudly over the forest as dawn broke into the mountainside, the light gleaming brightly against their pitch black exteriors during their ascents. Deku was escorted to a medical evac chopper that housed the rest of his classmates and soon had doctors sitting him down to tend to his wound. Todoroki and Bakugo weren't really injured so they were mainly given an overall check. It was shortly after they took flight when the explosion shook the air and rocked the helicopters while leveling the mansion to a flaming pile of debris. It was difficult to discern if everyone had made it out alive, but he felt numbed overall.

The sounds of the machines were drowned out as they flew back to the other side of the island. Their mission was considered a success with the retrieval of Uraraka yet the heaviness of loss weighed over them. Paranoias had died in vain and All for One was behind everything, controlling the villain like a puppet to do his biddings. The first incident, the months of trauma and pain his classmate endured, the endless nights of restlessness and fears the campus would be attacked again. In the end, they'd all lost in more than one way.

It wasn't until someone shook his shoulder that he snapped from his numbing thoughts to look up. Todoroki motioned that they'd arrived and waited until his friend gathered his thoughts before escorting him from the aircraft. Bakugo was waiting for the two just off to the side and with barely a glance began leading the way silently. The school grounds were still in lockdown so both pros and security ushered them onto the property while pushing back the eager photographers and news stations who were clamoring their names. Word had spread fast about the uprising of villains across not only Japan, but the world as well so every outlet wanted the first scoop of juicy information fresh from the source. No better place than U.A. who'd already been wrapped up in the incidences from the beginning. Present Mic was stationed just outside of the doors with a bullhorn in his hand, urging the crowds to calm down and leave the premises or be arrested for trespassing.

"Shoto! Deku! Bakugo! What happened on your mission to rescue your classmate? Who was the villain, or villains, involved in the matter? What big name pro heroes were involved in the rescue? Did anyone sustain any serious injuries? Can we get a status update for all those anxious viewers waiting at home? I'm sure even your parents are worried about you. What are you going to tell them?" A reporter somehow shoved her way through the line of pros and halted the students dead in their tracks with a mic shoved into their face. The only reason she didn't trip the gate security measures was because they had already crossed the threshold with the pros holding them back. Principal Nezu didn't want to risk any casualties.

"Back off, lady! It's none of your damned business what happened out there! Wait until the school releases a proper statement." Bakugo snapped and the mic swung towards him in a flash. His eye ticked before a hand lashed out to grab the microphone, then with his arm outstretched to the right detonated the device in a controlled blast. The area went silent as everyone looked over to see what the source of the explosion was, some beginning to think it was a villain attack. Present Mic sighed and dropped his head back. Now the school would have to reimburse the reporter for damaged equipment. Again. The pro didn't even want to see what the bill looked like.

"Now, I don't condone violence outside of school grounds but I'll let this one slide, Bakugo. These reporters can get pushy and it ain't cool, ya dig? Remember this is your one free call-in to the station." Present Mic leaned over to tell the pyromaniac as the trio passed through the entrance with their escorts. The teen merely glanced at his teacher before shoving his hands into his pockets with a slight nod. It wasn't worth arguing over. Hell, they could take the money from his pocket if they really wanted to.

"Was that necessary, Bakugo?" Shoto asked as the entrance door shut loudly behind them, the gears within quickly spinning the locks into place. It didn't take but a few seconds for Ectoplasm and his clones to push everyone outside of the gate.

"They were getting on my nerves."

"Everything gets on your nerves."

"You're getting on my nerves."

Principal Nezu stood centered in front of the main building on campus with his hands clasped behind his back as he awaited the arrival of his students. All Might and Detective Tsukauchi stood on either side sporting relieved expressions though there was still a hint of distress lurking in their eyes. "Welcome back! You've done an outstanding job in aiding the recovery of Ochaco Uraraka. I couldn't be prouder of you three for the incredible feat you have accomplished. There will need to be interviews later for police and U.A. records, but for now I want you to go get any wounds you have checked out before returning to the dorms. Unfortunately, because this has turned into a bigger problem than originally realized, you will need to be escorted by some of the teachers back to your rooms. The campus is still on full lockdown until we figure some things out."

"What about the rest of the class? What's happened to them?" Deku asked as he stepped towards the headmaster. He glanced at All Might yet the former pro refused to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds. Something told him he needed to speak to him alone. His stomach clenched uneasily. It had to be about All for One. Or worse, Uraraka…

"Any injuries they sustained were treated and they were released back to the dorms which are currently heavily guarded. While the students were gone, I made sure some of the support class lent their help to rebuild the damage done so it's all like new. And since we now know All for One is deeply involved in the matter, we are taking any and all precautions to ensure the safety of our students. I believe no one was seriously injured so they should all be in their rooms getting some rest. It's been an incredibly long night for you all. Consider this a job well done."

"That's a relief to hear they're alright. So," Deku started but the words seemed to get stuck on the roof of his mouth. He cleared his throat to try again, his nerves beginning to get the best of him. The teen could feel the eyes of everyone on him and it didn't help with trying to organize his thoughts. "So what happened to Uraraka? I mean, is she…?"

"Recovery Girl has her in surgery right now, but she's lost quite a bit of blood in the meantime. The blood she received on the way back stabilized her enough to get into surgery. While Todoroki's cauterizing stopped the worst of it, her body has been put under an immense amount of strain from the injuries and trauma. She'll give us an update when the surgery is done, but there's nothing more we can do for her now." All Might added in lowly at the look of distress flittering across his successors face. Emotionally this had all taken a toll on the young hero and it pained him to see that, but sugarcoating the harsh truth only made things worse down the line. He'd done it for years which led the public to having constant false hope about him always being there to rescue them.

"Midoriya, you should go have someone in the infirmary look at your wound to make sure it won't get infected." Todoroki suggested as Bakugo turned on his heel to head towards the dorms, two pros instantly on either side of him much to his vocal displeasure. "We'll head back to the dorms and meet you there in a bit, okay? I'll update Iida and the others about Uraraka."

"Sure. Get some rest then we can talk." The group split up and All Might motioned for Midoriya to follow him to the infirmary to get his wounds looked at. Security followed the two but hung back as the former pro waved them off to have a more private conversation. With all of the procedures in place, it wasn't necessary to have constant armed body guards following them. The hallways were empty and silent as they weaved through the structure quietly, pros or security occasionally making their rounds and checking in with them. It felt more like a prison than the top hero academy in Japan.

"How is your wound holding up? Did you get any other injuries?" All Might asked once they reached an empty office on the second floor, the former pro shutting the door behind Izuku to keep wandering eyes and ears out.

"It's nothing, All Might, just a stab wound from a piece of wood when I was fighting Paranoias." Deku waved it off quickly but he could tell his tone wouldn't fool anyone, let alone the former number one hero who'd gifted him his quirk. A blond eyebrow arched and the hero let out a small breath. Couldn't get anything past All Might.

"I didn't think he was the fighting dirty type,"

"Well," Deku started a bit nervously with a hand to the back of his head. What was the best way to explain how it happened? "It was actually…Uraraka who stabbed me?"

All Might nearly choked on his own spit in surprise. Uraraka stabbed him? What on earth? He thought they were in love, not secretly trying to kill one another! It sounded like a cliché action movie. "How in the world did that happen?!"

"It wasn't really her fault, Paranoias had taken over her control of her body as she was swinging a stake towards him and he instantly redirected it towards me. So essentially it was Paranoias who stabbed me, but he was just using Uraraka's body to do it. Really, it's not directly her fault! Or really her fault at all because it was an unfortunate series of events that led to me being stabbed accidentally, because a villain used mind control to get an opening which essentially was two birds with one stone in the midst of a battle…"

"That's a hell of a story you have there, kid," All Might chuckled as Deku turned bright red before covering his face instinctively. Still such a reactive kid. But after a minute he lowered his arms with an uneasy expression, hands fidgeting as he leaned against one of the desks. "Young Midoriya? Something wrong?"

"…it's complicated. After we found Uraraka, she briefly mentioned something about Paranoias and some villains we encountered on the way out talked about someone named Ronaldo. I think she was trying to say he wasn't the one behind everything, that the other person was the one pulling the strings. I don't have enough information to support the theory, but I believe Yoshizawa was the one to help Uraraka escape. Then Dabi showed up and killed him off before we could take him in to interrogate." All Might mulled over the information with a hand to his chin. It wasn't too far stretched to be unbelievable, yet without concrete evidence it was difficult to just assume it was the truth. Knowing Midoriya though, he wouldn't lie about his suspicions like this. There was speculation that Paranoias wasn't working alone although more information was needed from anyone who witnessed the incident. The school was going to go through and interview any heroes and students involved in the matter to narrow down the perpetrators. Once Eraser Head got some rest, then they would probe him for answers.

"Considering All for One has been behind this catastrophe the entire time, it's not difficult to believe there was someone else working beside him. But until the investigation completes or Uraraka wakes up, it's all just a gamble at this point. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of everything, Young Midoriya."

"All Might," Deku started quietly with his face turned downwards, bangs covering his eyes from the curious ones of his mentor. His hands clenched against his dirtied and torn costume tightly. "Is Uraraka…how bad were her injuries? Is she going to make it?"

"I won't lie Midoriya, it isn't good news. If you've seen her injuries then you're aware of just how severe they were at the time of her rescue. Recovery Girl isn't letting anyone into her infirmary unless they're an injured student and even then she's keeping them in a completely separated room. She's so far keeping everything under lock and key, although I get that it's not just for the sake of Uraraka's privacy. Your classmates don't know the extent of her injuries. I never told them after letting them know she was found safe."

"Why not?"

How was he supposed to explain that he didn't want to traumatize them even further than they already were from the exploding string trick that happened in the dorms? Or even from the beginning of the attacks during the camping trip? All of them were already worried when they were out in the field fighting off the villains so telling them didn't feel right. It also felt wrong to lie to them, but it was the best option at the time to do what he did. "Honestly, it was too difficult for me to tell them she was critically injured when they sounded so upset. Every single one of your classmates were informed that she was found safe and was being brought home, but they weren't told the other half. The teachers accompanying them were alerted but only because Present Mic suspected something was up and started prying. I'm sorry Midoriya, it was in the best interest for all to keep the injury under wraps."

"I understand your reasons for doing so, All Might, it's just…" The slightest quivering of his students shoulder told him all he needed, so he wrapped his boney arms around Midoriya as his walls began crumbling down. All of the anger, fear, grief, anxiety, and stress poured out of him and All Might could only silently comfort his student. People often forgot that the heroes were nothing more than children being sent out to fight in battles meant for the professionals and it always had a lasting impression on them. They were supposed to grow up so quickly in order to save those in need, although that meant sacrificing essentially the last half of their childhoods. It often seemed cruel to force them into the field when they were so inexperienced yet a lot of times it turned into a learning experience that would be used in the future.

All Might's cellphone rang out I am here! so he quickly made to silence it when he saw the name. Aizawa had sent a text with an urgent mark on it. He made to put it away when Midoriya pulled away swiping at his face hastily. The former pro was sure he wasn't done letting it out, but for now it seemed to take the edge off. "Better?"

"Sorry, everything's just been building up since this whole thing started and I guess I reached my breaking point." The teen apologized quickly as he pulled his glove off to better clean his face. There were more tears threatening to flow over but he'd wait until he was back in the dorms in the privacy of his room.

"Don't forget that not only are the teachers here to be your physical supports, but mental and emotional ones as well. I can understand the stress you've been under especially since this incident revolved around Uraraka. This will take time to heal from, but I have no doubt you'll all recover and realize how it's made you stronger not only as an individual but as a team. Let's get you to the infirmary before Recovery Girl finds you wandering around with a gaping hole in your abdomen. She's already overwhelmed with the other injuries." All Might clapped him on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile before continuing the trek to the infirmary. Chiyo wasn't going to be happy with Midoriya's injuries though at least she couldn't blame it on his lack of control for One for All this time. But he'd still get an earful nonetheless.

As expected the room was already empty save for a few doctors that U.A. requested from the local hospital they often partnered with when the school became overwhelmed with injuries. They quickly got Midoriya settled into a bed to examine his bandaged wound and All Might took that as his cue to slip from the room. He quickly opened the message from Aizawa. Meet me in the spare conference room as soon as possible. Let no one follow you.

The former pro closed out of the message before locking the screen and putting it in his pocket. Whatever Aizawa wanted to talk about, he wanted it done away from prying eyes and ears. As he made his way down the hallways with one of the security guards following obediently behind, the other having been left outside of the infirmary as Midoriya was now a high-risk target, his thoughts began racing. It had to be about All for One if he wanted to do it in private. If it was about his student then he would've asked him directly, but the pro was being sneaky about this for a reason yet unknown. When he neared the room All Might waved the guard off and knocked twice before sliding the door back. Aizawa stood with his hands planted firmly against the conference table as he shot a dirty look at Endeavor while Hawks merely stayed out of the fray with a cup of coffee. Endeavor huffed once he saw who entered the room, a sneer curling his lip upwards. Of course the former number one was in on this. Typical Eraser Head, calling for backup.

"What's the deal with getting All Might involved in this, Eraser?"

"Aizawa, is everything alright?" All Might hastily went to his coworkers side and whispered behind his hand. Aizawa shook his hand off before straightening up to address them all. The former pro straightened up immediately, switching to a tense posture. He'd never seen his friend this wound up before, especially with dragging Endeavor and Hawks into it.

"Now that we've all gathered there's something you need to know. This information will not leave this room until the investigation has proven to cover the main factors of the mission. Even speaking about this outside could jeopardize any future strategies regarding All for One. Understood?"

"My lips are sealed," Hawks provided before taking a long, slow sip of coffee while keeping his sharp eyes on everyone. Analyzing their postures, expressions, eye movements. This was going to be some seriously dark news so he kept the cup up to his mouth to hide his expression. The human torch was about to burst at the seams from annoyance.

"Get on with it already, I have a mountain of paperwork to do back at my agency and you're just sitting here playing games. Some of us have actual hero work to do." Endeavor gruffed with a cross of his arms. Aizawa briefly flashed his eyes in warning before letting out a strained breath. That man was really starting to test his patience.

"Not a word of this will leave the room Aizawa, so what's going on?" All Might asked tersely as he gripped the back of a chair to steady himself for what was about to hit. Hadn't they had enough bad news for the time being?

"Yoshizawa Isoruko's body is missing from the temporary morgue and no one knows where it went."


Chiyo shakily placed the scalpel back down on the tray as nurses began suturing the open wounds, five hours having already passed with a glance of the clock. She'd seen bad injuries but these were almost barbaric. Massive laceration across the abdomen, most likely a few blows to the head, countless bruises, cuts, and gashes. Not to mention the blood. Never in her career had she seen such a horrendous loss of blood from a small body. What saved her was the medics doing a transfusion on the way back to the school, but she kept bleeding from the wounds. The fact that her body hadn't given out completely before now was an absolute miracle. The large laceration had been cauterized shut though now the problem was going to be skin elasticity as it tried to heal over. It was going to be a heavy scar, that she couldn't heal with her quirk, but at least a little further down the road of recovery the nurse could heal the wound itself. Whatever happened to the poor girl was considered torture in the very least.

A monitor began beeping loudly and the nurses began scurrying around for supplies. Chiyo glanced at the flashing screen to see an irregular heartbeat skipping across the screen before flatlining with a monotone beep. Cardiac arrest. Not surprising given her condition though it was an outcome she didn't want. "Get the paddles, charge to two hundred."

"Charging to two hundred. Clear." A nurse called out before pressing one pad against Uraraka's side and the other by her heart. Electricity jolted her body off of the table as the monitor continued to error out. Sometimes the first one didn't take so they'd have to keep going. "Charging to two hundred and fifty. Clear."

"Wait," Chiyo held up a blood soaked glove and all eyes went to the monitor. The rhythm was still flatlining with no spikes in activity. "Come on Ochaco, don't leave us now. You've got people waiting for you. She's in cardiac arrest. Charge to three hundred."

"Charging to three hundred. Clear." The nurse jumped her heart once more yet the monitor barely flinched. Chiyo pushed the nurse aside and began doing compressions to try and restart her heart. The cartilage cracked from the force of the pushes but she kept at it, putting her all into restarting the heart. Another nurse attached a manual bag to Ochaco's intubation tube and began bagging slowly to keep the oxygen going. Minutes passed as the pro tried to restart her heart manually with desperation clawing deep into her chest. Another doctor quickly scrubbed in and took over when Chiyo began growing tired, his hands pressing firmer against the failing organ. A loud snap resonated in the operating theatre and a nurse physically cringed as the rib snapped, the woman walking away to try and recompose herself. Syringe after syringe of medicine was injected into the IV connected to her hand yet the monitor still released its monotone warning into the room. Recovery Girl clasped her hands over Ochaco's and squeezed tightly, hoping, praying she would feel the warmth and come back to them.

"Ochaco, come on now don't do this. You've come too far to go out like this. I don't want to have to explain to your classmates that you died on my operating table when I know you have the will and desire to live on as a great hero. Think about Midoriya. How would he react to your death? I know he cares about you more than anything so you need to wake up and tell him back. If you won't do it for me, then do it for him. Wake up and tell him, Ochaco!" The monitor suddenly beeped three times before a normal rhythm danced across the screen, her heartrate slowly dropping back down to a normal level. Chiyo sighed heavily before sweeping a hand down Ochaco's hair lightly. The old nurse hadn't been scared like that in decades. She'd never lost a patient in her entire time of working for U.A. and it wasn't going to start now. "I knew you had it in you dear, so you just get some rest now. Everything will be alright, I promise."

Ensuring that her patient was stable for the time, Recovery Girl cleaned up then left the surgical room to inform Principal Nezu. She hadn't been that worked up in a long time and it almost brought back bittersweet memories, but she shook them away. A student died on her table and for a moment she panicked, mentally frozen on how to properly respond. Being a surgeon for the top hero academy in all of Japan had shown her a wide variety of severe injuries over the years, although this one felt more personalized than others. In the span of just a few months, Ochaco Uraraka had been admitted to her infirmary more than any other student within the school and that said something especially with Izuku Midoriya's record. There was a difference between the two though, one being because of All Might's bad training and quirk control while the other was the result of villains. Whether it was just the poor luck of being the pawn of a villain's game or inexperience fighting someone so powerful, she didn't entirely know. That poor child was going to be traumatized for quite some time if not for the rest of her life.

"Oh, I was just about to come looking for you. I hope everything is going well with Ochaco's surgery?"

Principal Nezu appeared out of nowhere and the pro nearly bumped into him before snapping from her thoughts. She steadied herself with her cane before letting out a small sigh, a hand pressed against her chest. "You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Principal Nezu, it's not good for the aging heart."

"Forgive me, I did call out to you multiple times though it seems you were deep within your own thoughts. Is everything alright?"

"I just had a student die on my table for five minutes and is still at risk for further complications or another cardiac arrest so no, nothing is alright Nezu. For the first time in a long time…I panicked. Her heart stopped just as they were about to put stitches in and with all my years of training, I forgot that she was yet another hero and saw that she was just a small child." Chiyo snapped before letting out a heavy, ragged sigh. Nezu offered his arm and guided her to the nearest bench for a rest, the old woman feeling achier than ever as she sat. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to snap. It's not like me to lose my control like this. I'm frustrated with the entire situation. I've done all I can for the moment, but I feel like there's more I can do for her."

"Not at all, Chiyo. You have one of the most stressful jobs here at U.A. so you're bound to have some emotional trauma that has been built up over the years. I can set you up with some time off to recuperate your strength and have a few local doctors rotate shifts in the meantime. I believe a lot of us right now are suffering from the despicable actions of All for One and his pawns. He certainly had guts to reveal himself towards the end of the battle, but I assure you he won't be getting away with this travesty."

"I appreciate the vacation time offer Nezu, but my students still need me to whip them back into fighting shape as pathetic as it sounds. Things certainly have changed since our era." Nezu chuckled then released a small sigh himself. True, back in the day All Might reigned supreme and villains cowered just at his name. Now that he'd retired after his fight with All for One, those lurking in the gutters and shadows poured forward to reclaim their territories. Forcing the students into the world to fight them just proved that even after generations of heroes and villains, the world would truly never be equal again.

"I'm afraid things are only going to continue changing even more after this."

As expected, the number one trouble child of U.A. was resting quietly in her infirmary fast asleep. The on duty doctors informed her of the injury, the severity, the actions they took to prevent infections, and even showed the bandaging to earn her approval. She quickly approved of their process before sending them on their way, the door shutting silently behind them. The old pro sank heavily into the chair beside his bedside and just stared. He was bruised up a bit, but aside from his wound seemed to have escaped major injury this time. Was it because the villain wasn't much of a physical fighter? Theoretically, the police reports stated that Paranoias' quirk dealt with mind control, not physical fighting capabilities or patterns. Of course now that it was revealed to the school staff that All for One had been behind the attack, it just made things more complicated than they already were.

A knock on the door pulled her attention away so she pushed herself to her feet before shuffling over to it with a grumble. There were too many people trying to bother her right now and it was grating on her last nerve. Aizawa stood with his hands shoved into his pockets, his usual tired expression gracing his face but as Chiyo looked into the slightly frantic eyes of the teacher, she knew he'd been shaken up by everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. "I'm assuming you're here for your students, Aizawa. I can't even get a moment to rest before someone comes knocking on my door demanding answers."

"How are they?" Aizawa asked quietly as the old nurse ushered them both out into the hallway for some privacy, the nearby guard shooed away as well to keep prying eyes and ears away. "What about Uraraka's surgery? How did it go?"

"One thing at a time Shota, you look like you're about to have a panic attack and I'm not sure you have that many emotions to spare. Calm down first before I tell you anything otherwise you're going to end up in a bed beside them both. I don't need three people to constantly monitor."

"Chiyo,"

"Alright. Persistent when it comes to your children, hm? Seems you've really taken to this year's batch of students. Very well. Let me find a bench first, I've been on my feet all day in surgery so I need a break." The two made their way across the hallway meant for visitors of the sick and settled in for a long conversation. "Midoriya had a stab wound that thankfully missed vital organs, so the assisting doctors got him bandaged up while I was in surgery. He should recover just fine within a day or so with an assisted healing session. That boy was lucky that's the only injury he received."

"Surprisingly Midoriya came out with very little injury this time, but it doesn't seem like Paranoias was the one to inflict the damage as he was listed non-combatant in the police reports. The school and police haven't had the chance to interview those involved so we'll find out more later. What about Uraraka?"

Chiyo averted her gaze to stare at her withered and wrinkled hands resting against her lap. He wasn't going to take it well either way so it was best to just let it out all at once. Breathe in then out Chiyo, you can do this. "Uraraka's heart stopped after the surgery and after two rounds of shocking plus CPR, she came back after nearly five minutes. We pumped her full of everything that we could, but until she wakes up there's no telling if there will be any permanent damage. She lost too much blood which caused her heart to stop pumping from the sheer amount of stress on her body. We've replenished everything her body could handle although the trauma's surely been a major factor. It's lucky you had the helicopters stocked full of her blood type otherwise this would be a different conversation. I've got her on twenty-four hour watch right now in a secured room and doctors will rotate being in the room with her. I'm sorry Shota, I've done everything I physically can yet there's nothing we can do now but hope she wakes up fully cognitive."

Aizawa leaned forward with his arms against his knees as his shoulders sagged. She knew that posturing anywhere. Very rarely in all her years at U.A. had she seen the pro react that way except for one other time, when Oboro Shirakumo was killed during a work studies mission. Shota was never the emotional type yet that incident revealed the hidden emotions deep within him, just as they were emerging once more now. She placed a hand against his arm comfortingly. "Shota, it wasn't your fault. I know you want to blame yourself and take responsibility for your students, but no one could've predicted this would happen. We had the wool pulled over our eyes."

"I failed to ensure my students were safe whenever they went out on trips or missions and now Uraraka may never wake up the same. I'm taking full responsibility as her teacher for this whole mess. I couldn't even bring down the man responsible because Dabi got to him before anyone else could. Since All for One is involved, in makes sense for them to get rid of any loose threads. Midoriya and the others believe Paranoias actually freed Uraraka before he died though we can't confirm that information yet."

"Dabi? As in the villain, Dabi? Are you sure because that's a heavy accusation to throw around." Chiyo gaped a few seconds before pursing her lips shut. Guess All for One was truly sending his League of Villains out to do his biddings in his stead. Not that she was entirely surprised after everything that's happened but still, one of the more powerful villains working under All for One had been sent out? It didn't sound like a simple coincidence.

"Blue fire, can't mistake it. He threw Paranoias out of some high windows where I assume they were fighting due to the stab wound he had. Body was too far gone to really decipher much else even though we put him out moments after he ignited. They wanted to make sure no evidence was left. All for One was wrapping up all loose ends that tied back to him. One of the things that doesn't make sense is how he was stabbed. Dabi isn't the type unless other League members were with them, maybe Spinner or even Toga. All evidence was destroyed when the mansion was leveled."

"Well, we can worry about all of that later can't we. Right now you have other students to report to and ease their worries. They're just as worried and frantic about their friends as you are to them, Shota. Get some sleep soon as well before you pass out and end up next to your students, you look like utter crap." Chiyo snorted as the teacher shook out his locks and stood, unamused eyes darting to hers before averting away. A calmer look overtook the pro so that was of some reassurance to the nurse. He'd be alright, in his own time.

"Thank you for taking care of them. I'm going to process things over before telling the rest of the class. I'll need to make some phone calls to the parents so I'll inform you when they show up. Please alert me with any changes."

"You'll be the first to know, Shota."


Week after week passed at U.A. and the students attempted to continue onward with their studies but nothing felt the same anymore. Seat number five had remained empty for so long that even Yaoyorozu had attempted to create a doll like figure of the missing classmate, only to make the others more upset. It would never replace the real person still stuck in the infirmary under lock and key. Aizawa had explained the situation after he'd had some time to mentally prepare himself and as expected was bombarded with pleas of visits. They were shot down immediately due to Recovery Girl's strict visitor policy and those who tried to sneak in were given a prompt warning via binding cloth and erasure. No one tried again after the first incident, but it didn't stop them from trying to listen in on Recovery Girl's conversations.

Midoriya had returned to class within two days but was sworn to secrecy regarding Uraraka's condition updates by All Might, the former pro warning that it stayed between them otherwise he would get banned from the recovery suite. Aizawa seemed to have his suspicions a few times but often let it go when he realized it wasn't worth it to stress about those two. He had bigger problems like the fact that Paranoias' body had disappeared from the morgue before a full examination could be carried out by authorities. In its place was an ace of spades with a blood smear across the center. No messages, no finger prints, nothing to identify what could've happened to the villains body. The entire campus had been locked down since he'd broken in to kidnap Uraraka, so the odds of someone entering the property were slim to none yet there was no other explanation as to how his body just up and disappeared promptly after its arrival. There was always the possibility of a teleportation quirk being used, similar or the same to how Uraraka was taken, but without the body it was just a guessing game.

"Any questions regarding today's lessons?" Aizawa asked gruffly as he set down the lesson plan on his podium with little care. It had been a boring lesson even for himself and the half-asleep faces of his students nearly mirrored what he felt inside. As much as he wanted to disregard a good portion of the curriculum, it was still a vital part of their training to become heroes.

"Mr. Aizawa, I know this isn't related to the lesson but have you heard anything about Ochaco? It's been weeks and no one has given us an update on her condition." Jiro asked with a raised hand, all eyes on her with more alertness than before. Midoriya stiffened slightly in his seat and quickly diverted his gaze when Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the suspicious reaction. It was difficult to get anything past his sharp gaze.

"Yeah, even All Might won't tell us anything and we know he goes in there a lot to either see Recovery Girl or Uraraka. I think you've been in there a lot as well." Kaminari added in as he stood up suddenly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. Ojiro tried to get him to sit back down but the electric teen shook his head and waved him off. "You can't keep hiding this stuff from us! She's our friend and classmate, don't we have the right to know if she's okay? Hell, without her sacrificing herself we probably never would've been able to take down Paranoias so quickly and stop the bombs from injuring more people. We'll break down that door if we have to!"

"Please don't break any doors, Kaminari, it's extremely rude to intrude on someone's privacy like that!" Iida corrected him quickly though he too felt the frustration of just sitting around waiting for updates. He adjusted his glasses with a heavy sigh. "Look, I understand this is a rough time for us all, but we still have to respect Recovery Girl's rules since she knows what's best for Uraraka. If the school wants to keep her separated for the sake of her health, then there isn't anything we can do to sway their minds on the matter. We should just all take a breath and calm down."

"Calm down? How can I calm down when my best friend is in there probably withering away like a vegetable! I haven't been able to sleep most nights because I have nightmares of when she turned into a pile of string in front of me! I'm worried out of my mind right now and it's affecting my grades, my sleep, my attitude, and now I can't go past her room without going in to sit on her bed to cry. Mr. Aizawa, either you give us an update that will ease our minds or I'm barging into that infirmary and finding out myself. I don't care about the consequences, I care about my friend." Mina shouted at her teacher with frustrated tears streaming down her face. Everyone looked at her in surprise before swinging their gazes to the stoic teacher. Yaomomo got up to comfort the pinkette and offer her a tissue. Aizawa let out a slow breath then stood tall as he took out his phone, thumb quickly scrolling through his contacts to find who he needed then pressed call. It rang twice before the line connected through.

"What is it, Shota? I'm in the middle of my endless piles of paperwork right now. Don't tell me you're calling regarding another update after I just told you less than an hour ago." Recovery Girl's agitation crackled through the line and soon everyone was crowding the device as it was switched to speaker.

"Not me, the rest of my class crowding around me demanding answers. Figured you can give them a better update than I could." Shota casually replied only to get a sigh and a tsk from the other end. It was a cheap trick but she wouldn't blow up over the phone with all of his students here. Hopefully. "They're threatening mutiny without an update."

"Please Recovery Girl, we're worried sick about Uraraka so can we please have an update?" Yaomomo plead softly with hands clasped together against her chest, the other girls crowding around her for support. Mina silently hiccupped her cries into her sleeve, eyes puffy and red from constantly crying. Toru kept an arm around her while swiping at her own face.

"…I suppose it won't hurt at this point. Since all of the teachers and parents are up to date on everything I won't skimp on details. What all did Aizawa mention when he first told you?"

"That she'd gotten out of surgery and was recovering but no one was allowed to visit per your rules. We haven't gotten much information aside from that." Tokoyami answered easily.

"We know the teachers are visiting her so why can't we? Unless there's something you aren't telling us," Mineta suggested though he quickly seemed to redact the comment. "I don't mean that in a bad sense, it's just that everyone here is avoiding our questions and won't tell us what's going on."

"I see. I suggest you all prepare yourselves for this because it's going to be a short but difficult story. Are you fine with this, Aizawa? Including everything?" Chiyo wearily asked before preparing herself to go through it once more. It was going to be a gamble on whether or not they would react badly, but at this point they'd seen almost all of it. Well, except the part of her dying on the table. That she knew would shock them to their cores.

"What you tell them is at your discretion. Go ahead."

"Where to start…I guess from the beginning will suffice. When Uraraka was brought in for surgery, she had already lost a lot of her body volume in blood courteous of severe injuries. Thanks to Todoroki and his flames, the bleeding was able to be stopped to prevent further loss though that was just a minor fix. It took nearly five hours just to repair the damage that'd been done. That included removing any dead tissue, repairing lacerations, checking for internal damages." Chiyo stopped to let everything sink in before she continued. It wasn't easy to think it let alone say it aloud to a room full of anxious children. She pinched between her brows and took a breath in. "Uraraka's heart stopped on the table due to the amount of blood loss and trauma. It took us nearly five minutes to get it restarted and she's been in a medically induced coma since. I'm sorry for withholding this information from you all, although I wanted to ensure that she had the best possible chance of recovering. The details were gruesome and if you need someone to talk to there is a therapist on site to help you. Shota, take me off speakerphone. We need to have a chat."

Aizawa quickly retreated from the room with the phone to his ear while the rest of the class sat in silence, the words weighing heavily over them. No one moved nor made a single sound. Mina felt her shoulders slump and she felt numbness wash over her, the pinkette lifting her head towards the ceiling. "Ochaco…died?"

"There's no way, right? She survived all that but her heart stopped on the table?" Jiro whispered into her hand. It was too horrible to think about and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Poor Ochaco," Tsu ribbited sadly with tears overflowing.

"Spill it nerd, how long have you known?" Bakugo ordered lowly as he leaned over Deku with narrowed eyes, hands resting heavily against the desk. "I know you've been chatting it up with All Might about her condition so spill what you know. Why've you been keeping it from the rest of us?"

"All Might…told me how severe her injuries were once we returned but I could already guess that. He only contacts me with updates when anything changes and it's only been two or three times. She still hasn't woken up and it's all my fault." Midoriya replied quietly with his head tilted towards the wall. Bakugo didn't like the answer and went to yank his stupid head upwards when he noticed liquid on the desk quickly turning into a small puddle. With a tsk he swiveled away and leaned heavily against the desk to watch the rest of the class. Stupid nerd, crying and shit like always. Not like any one of them could've predicted the villain had kidnapping in his plans. Still, Paranoias really fucked her up. They'd underestimated the lengths he'd go to for his goal.

"Perhaps it's best if we take advantage of the therapists on site. I'll alert Mr. Aizawa to the situation, I'm sure he'll fully understand—" Iida began until the door flung open violently enough to startle them all. Aizawa stood there with a heavy expression as he motioned for someone else to enter, his posture tense. The class felt a sensation of dread wash over them as the person entered casually, their gaze washing over each and every face before stopping on the only empty seat in the room. Hawks stopped at the podium with his usual calm and relaxed manner but his posture gave away the seriousness of his visit.

"Get your costumes on for practice, students, because tomorrow you're going to go raid a villain hideout operated by the Quantum Council."


Pain. Stiffness. Pain. Soreness. Pain. Exhaustion. Pain. Grogginess. Pain. Pain. Every time she awoke it was a combination of pain and one of various other side effects of returning from the depths of unconsciousness. Of course as soon as she stirred the first time Recovery Girl was on her in a second, checking vitals and preparing to draw more blood. She looked so relieved and happy to finally see her awake but it started to slip when the edges of Ochaco's vision began darkening once more. It went on like this for a while; waking up for a short time before sinking back into the abyss then waking once more. Each awakening caused a lot of delirium and anxiety, the room and its surroundings unfamiliar with each brief glance. There was no concept of time due to the blinding florescent lights that seemed to always be on.

Her abdomen felt heavy with each slight shift so she gave in and just began lying perfectly still regardless of the restlessness it caused in all of the protesting joints. Recovery Girl would shift her legs around a few times a day to keep the blood flowing but it all felt like a blur. How much pain relief was she getting? Had the injuries been that severe? Ochaco groggily opened her eyes one morning to see blurry figures standing around the bed muttering about something that her mind couldn't comprehend. A small grunt alerted them to her rousing so they all grew quiet and leaned in. She blinked heavily a few times until the haze from her vision cleared. Everything was so bright. A hand tried to shield it though it felt bogged down by something too heavy for her to lift.

"Ochaco, how are you feeling? Do you know where you are today?" Recovery Girl? At least she thought it sounded like the old pro. Or maybe it was her mom. Her mind was still trying to process waking up.

"Can she hear us right now? She looks like she's still fighting the grogginess." Teachers? Dad? She wasn't sure who it was because they both had lower, gravely tones so it was difficult to discern who was standing before her.

"Hold on, I'll give her a flush to clear that up. I need to verify she's coherent enough for some brainwave monitoring. Here you go Ochaco, hopefully this will wake you up in just a minute or so. Take your time and don't rush to move."

"Uraraka, can you hear us? You don't need to force yourself to talk, okay? We just want to make sure you're alright." All Might reassured gently as she tried to move her mouth to speak beneath the oxygen mask. He could tell by her sluggish eye movements that she was still pretty out of it so he wasn't entirely sure how much she was comprehending in the moment.

"You've given us all a scare Ochaco, you've been out for nearly a month now though that was somewhat expected with everything that's happened." Chiyo said in between clipping wires to small pads connected all over her forehead and upper chest. Ochaco blearily watched as the nurse turned on a machine and began fiddling with the keyboard to adjust the settings. The beeping tone felt like it was scratching against her eardrums and she winced while shifting her head away. "Alright, we're hooked up and ready to start. I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to try and answer them to the best of your ability. We need to test your cognitive functions to ensure they're working properly then I'm going to do a healing session if you're strong enough. Don't worry if you can't remember everything at first but do your best. Question one, what is your name?"

"O-Och…aco," She rasped out weakly. Her mind was beginning to clear the fog away so the room became clearer. All Might and Mr. Aizawa were standing by the foot of the hospital bed with anxious faces, a nurse was standing to her right taking notes down and keeping an eye on the monitor she was hooked up to, and Recovery Girl on her left quizzing her. Where was…

"Very good. Seems the neurons are functioning well already. Question two, what is your quirk?"

"My…quirk…" Ochaco trailed off as her gaze dropped to her lap where her hands rested, numerous I.V. lines threading from her veins and into machines. Palms turned upwards as she stared at them questioningly. What was her quirk? Flying? Or was it levitating? There were weird, raised bumps on them so maybe that had something to do with it? Chiyo noticed she was scrunching up her face in concentration to figure it out and scooted over to lightly grasp her hand.

"That's okay Ochaco, you probably won't remember everything at once. Even remembering your name from the start is a good sign. Your quirk is Zero Gravity, whatever you touch with all of your finger pads allows you to remove the gravity from that person or object. Let's move on, hm? Question three, do you remember a name of your classmate?"

A name of a classmate? Her head was starting to hurt already and she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes again to slip back into the abyss. The tightness on her abdomen was beginning to strain as she became fully conscious and shifted around more. "I uh…isn't there a…a…."

"Do you remember our names, Uraraka?" Aizawa asked while pointing to himself as All Might copied his motion, nodding encouragingly.

"You're…uh…Allzawa and…Mighai?" Ochaco couldn't place her finger quite on their names but she was sure they were some variation of whatever it was just came spewing from her mouth. Or she was completely wrong but judging from their looks she was at least close. Her mind was beginning to buzz like the static channel on tv late at night.

"Close, All Might and Aizawa. It's alright, your brain is still trying to unscramble itself after being in a coma. You've been through a good amount of trauma so that's to be expected, though you're doing fantastic so far." Chiyo reassured only to receive a mildly concerned look from the brunette. It was a sign she was becoming more cognitively aware. "Ochaco, there's something you need to know before we continue. After we got you into surgery your heart stopped beating. We did resuscitative measures but it still took about five minutes before you came back to us. You lost a lot of blood so it caused your heart to stop pumping from stress as a result. I had to put you into a medically induced coma in order to help your body heal. I know this is all very confusing and scary, but I feel you're going to make a full recovery in no time."

"Coma? I was in a coma…" The brunette mumbled to herself tiredly. If she could just remember how she'd gotten to this point… "How long?"

"A little over a month."

"So…what happened?" The pros all shared a look as Ochaco glanced between them curiously. They seemed to know something yet kept their faces neutral. "It was bad, wasn't it?"

"Uraraka, do you remember the villain Paranoias?" Aizawa asked slowly. The brunette started to shake her head when a memory came back rather painfully to her, a tubed hand resting against her temple in an attempt to ease the ache. Her brain was starting to work overtime after not doing much for the past month.

"He…in the control room, there was…someone else. He didn't do it but the other guy…what was his name?"

"Was it Ronaldo?" Aizawa asked and clenched the bars of the bed a little tighter when recognition illuminated her face. So that confirmed it. It seemed odd for Paranoias to be working solo as he'd had help in the past with the previous hero cleansing attempt.

"Ronaldo, he was the one behind everything. Paranoias…no, Yoshizawa Isoruko had been betrayed by him from the beginning. All for One…he was behind everything," Ochaco gasped as black flickered across her vision and she leaned forward to steady herself. Multiple hands carefully supported her as they pushed her back to lie down but she grabbed Aizawa's arm to stop him, eyes widening in unbridled fear. "Ronaldo, his quirk, it involves mind alteration. H-he changed Yoshizawa's plans from early on because he'd been suffering under him. But the whole plan started off as All for One's and Ronaldo was part of it all along. None of it was Yoshizawa's fault, you have to believe me!"

"Okay, okay, just calm down for a minute before you make yourself pass out," Chiyo soothed as she tilted the bed to a lower sitting position before handing the frantic teen some water. Ochaco shakily sipped it down and coughed a bit when some went down the wrong pipe. Apparently she'd forgotten how to breathe and drink separately.

"Yoshizawa isn't a bad person, he just grew up in an abusive household where his father experimented on him. He said it was because…because he was a sickly child or something," Ochaco felt the rest of the information slowly but surely returning in little bubbles, each one providing new information when it popped. It felt overwhelming but she needed them to know Paranoias wasn't a bad guy, just a manipulated and controlled one. Maybe he could still be spared. Maybe he could repent and turn his life around like Deku did with Gentle Criminal. "His mother tried to help him, though her husband threatened to hurt Yoshizawa further if she intervened which is why I was targeted. I…I have a strong resemblance to his mother and I think his trauma overwhelmed him. Towards the end when…when uh…"

"Take your time, Ochaco, there's no need to rush in trying to remember."

"Deku," Ochaco breathed out and suddenly she tried to jump from the bed, fingers weakly yanking at the various tubes and wires attached to her body. She didn't care if she couldn't walk, she needed to get to him, to apologize. "Deku, where's Deku? What happened to him? I need to know where he is!"

"Chiyo!" Aizawa barked out as he firmly kept Uraraka planted in place while All Might began reconnecting the loose I.V. tubes now dripping medication and blood on the floor. The nurse monitoring her swooped in to redo the vein poke all while trying to keep the flailing arm still for a minute.

"I'm working on it Shota, but it's going to take a minute to get her something!" Chiyo replied as various bottles of medicine clanked around loudly, a few even smashing against the tiled floor in her hurry. The nurse cursed before continuing to look for what she needed.

"Uraraka, Young Midoriya is fine! He wasn't severely injured and is constantly wondering about you. I can have him come up here if it'll calm you down." All Might offered while quickly holding down the lines back against her skin. He'd never seen someone panic so much, the girl oblivious to her injuries as she tried to find her friend. The memories must've overwhelmed her rationality and focused in on trying to find someone familiar.

"Where is he? I-I need to apologize to him! I didn't mean to…I didn't mean to stab him," Ochaco sobbed out as she weakly fought against her teachers grip, the monitors going wild as her heartrate skyrocketed. The brunette wobbled before bumping against Aizawa's chest without any more strength. He kept an arm on her back for stability until Recovery Girl could get her sedated. "Paranoias took over my body and made me do it…I swear it wasn't me…"

"All Might, get him up here now before she does more damage." Chiyo muttered to the former pro before pushing him out of the way to administer a mild sedative. The plunger slowly released yet stopped half way through the dosage as the pro glanced at the monitor, red numbers flashing as they rose. "I can't administer any more than that in case she crashes and doesn't recover. Keep the crash cart close nurse, in case we need to revive. Her heart is almost completely healed but I don't want it spasming this close to full recovery."

"He should be in the locker room. They're about to go out on a mission, All Might. We're going to get Midoriya up here Uraraka, so you need to calm down for us. I promise you he isn't going to be mad." Aizawa attempted to ease her worries but it didn't seem like he was getting through the hysterics. What the hell had happened in that mansion while they were separated?

_B_

Deku pulled his glove on and ensured it was tight before flexing his fingers to ensure a proper fit. The rest of the boys were either done dressing or just about finished so he was waiting until everyone was ready. They'd all been thrown off when Hawks entered the room to inform them of a new mission so suddenly but as he went over the details, it became clear that some of the villains were a part of the Quantum Council fiasco. Who they were or why they had worked for Paranoias didn't matter to him. He was going to get justice for Uraraka even if he had to take down an entire building of villains by himself.

"It's crazy to think we're being shoved out on a mission so suddenly, right? I thought this whole thing with the Quantum Council was done and over. Guess they must've linked more villains to the group or something." Deku overheard Kirishima discussing them mission with Ojiro, the two standing by their lockers on the other side of the row.

"It is odd but if it's coming directly from Hawks then it's a solid lead," Tokoyami added in and his classmates nodded in agreement. "Besides, didn't a lot of the members go into hiding nearly two decades ago after a failed terrorist attack?"

"Dude, how'd you know that?" Ojiro asked while Kirishima raised his brows surprised.

"I've done some extra researching on the Quantum Council and it turns out Principal Nezu and All Might assisted with taking down the organization back then. The police file also mentions that a handful of villains escaped in the chaos and were never found. It's possible they rejoined in the uprising so now they're trying to gather them all."

"So it's just a bunch of wannabes running around causing more chaos? Typical assholes. But what doesn't make sense is how they're related to All for One unless he's been funding the whole operation as a distraction or something. If he's using them as a cover to hide his true plans behind the scenes, then it would make more sense but this seems like a random ploy to draw our attention away from something much bigger." Bakugo slammed his locker shut before grabbing his gauntlets from the bench to put on.

Deku sat down on the bench a few feet away to stare at the floor in thought. It was growing increasingly more difficult to predict what All for One was really behind and it frustrated him to no ends. The correlation between the Quantum Council, Paranoias, and Uraraka didn't make a whole lot of sense combined. If the councils goal really was meant to eradicate quirks for a unified, neutral world then what was the point of taking his classmate with no connection whatsoever? Without all of the needed information it made things more difficult to decipher and put together. The investigation results from both the school and police weren't released to the public and the press were given vague amounts of information in order to keep the incident mainly under wraps. All Might hadn't given him any more information either, stating it was now a highly confidential situation.

His phone dinged once, then twice, then continuously so he stood to answer it. Normally no one called during school hours unless it was an emergency, but his mother had just texted asking how his day went. Hoping it was an update from All Might, Deku opened the messages eagerly in the hopes of good news but as he was scanning over the messages, a call came in from his mentor. "All Might? Is everything okay—?"

"Young Midoriya, we need you to the infirmary as soon as possible. Uraraka's woken up but she's become belligerent looking for you. She won't stop trying to apologize for stabbing you at the mansion so get here now before her body is put under more strain. You have my permission to use your quirk to get here faster." All Might cut him off with a slightly frantic, breathy tone. Deku froze in place and the rest of his classmates looked at him curiously. Bakugo spared a glance before heading towards the door to regroup with the rest of the class.

"I-I'm on my way from the locker room! Give me a few minutes!" Deku practically shouted into the speaker before ending the call and shoving the device into his pocket roughly, his locker door slamming shut.

"What's going on, Midoriya?" Todoroki inquired as his classmate began weaving through the locker-room in a hurry, even going as far as to jump over Mineta when he walked into his path. "Where are you going?"

"Uraraka's awake, I've got to go!" Deku called out before activating his quirk and bursting through the door, barely avoiding Bakugo who screeched angrily at him. The boys shared stunned faces before exploding into cheers and whooping that spilled out into the hallway.

"Go get her, man!" Kirishima shouted after his classmate before high fiving anyone in close proximity with a laugh.

Deku ran as fast as he could down the hallways with his heart in his throat. A whole month, a whole long month of her being comatose and she was finally awake! The excitement was nearly overwhelming as he skidded around a corner and barely avoided some second years carrying papers to the office by running up the wall. What troubled him was the fact that she was nearly hysterical over the fact that she'd stabbed him during the fight with Paranoias. Maybe the memories were too much for her to handle right now if she just woke up, but why was that incident the first to pop up? He cleared a flight of stairs with little effort before deactivating his quirk just down the hallway from the infirmary. Aizawa would wring him out with his scarf if he knew he was using his quirk within the hall and that was enough of a threat to make him behave. He'd already had to do three days' worth of classes on how not to be a stupid hero. That was on top of sitting in a room for two hours writing out how he would listen to his teacher next time.

"Midoriya! That was record timing," All Might waved him over quickly from beside the infirmary door, his posture nervous as he glanced around. Two guards stood stationed outside of the infirmary but as Deku neared, the former pro grabbed him and dragged him away from the guarded door.

"Aren't we going in there?" Deku asked as he was dragged around the corner and through another door that he didn't recall ever being there. It's possible he just hadn't paid attention the first time. "Why all the secrecy, All Might? What's going on?"

"Listen, Uraraka was moved to a separate room that was added on by the school but no one apart from her parents, Recovery Girl, Aizawa, myself and now you know where this is. Recovery Girl was adamant on having her monitored twenty-four seven in case she had another cardiac arrest—"

"She had another cardiac arrest?!" Deku abruptly stopped and All Might floundered for a moment before sighing and shaking his head, a hand running down his face. He should've predicted this was how he was going to react, but it was his fault for accidentally slipping the info. Recovery Girl had informed the entire class of what happened and apparently didn't explain the cause of her heart stopping. Midoriya was misinterpreting what he just said, the teen thinking she had a second one. "W-what…I mean, you didn't tell me this, All Might! Recovery Girl mentioned yesterday that her heart had stopped on the table but nothing about an arrest! That's a serious heart problem that could lead to a plethora of issues with the brain, lungs, other organs from the lack of blood flow—"

"Breathe, Young Midoriya, just take a breath so I can explain. There's a reason I didn't tell you this beforehand," All Might grabbed him by the shoulders and stared him down until he composed himself better. "Look, I was sworn not to let that information leak because that could cause a panic within your class and if news of that got out to the media, then that comes back as bad publicity for the school. Believe me, it wasn't easy not being able to tell you more than what I did. I'm sorry for withholding that information, but Uraraka's safety was prioritized so that's what it came down to. Just a few minutes ago Aizawa told me that Recovery Girl had spoken to your class yesterday about what'd happened. She didn't say cardiac arrest for a reason, because it would cause more panic. Uraraka didn't have a second one but we're watching for it just in case. That's why we called you up, to try and get her to calm down so it wouldn't stress her heart."

"Is she fine? Were there any repercussions from the arrest?" Deku asked quietly once All Might released his shoulders and stepped back. He was trying his best to remain calm but it was difficult given the circumstances.

"Her memory right now is a little rough although we believe it will come back in due time. She confirmed for us that Ronaldo was the one behind everything, he was working for All for One directly and used his quirk to manipulate Paranoias' mind. She claims he never meant to harm her and that some childhood trauma was the reasoning behind the kidnapping."

"Ronaldo…Yoshizawa's right hand man. Uraraka was right the entire time, he wasn't the one behind everything but we couldn't prove it before we were split up again. We even overheard some villains mention that they witnessed Ronaldo talking to All for One on a screen," Deku clenched his fists tightly at his sides, the force causing his arms to tremble. Anger swelled in his body like a raging sea. How far would that bastard go to hurt everyone around him just to get what he wanted? "All of this…the months of pain, trauma, torture, and nightmares…all because of All for One. How far can that bastard go?"

"We both know he does what he wants from the shadows without repercussions, but that's not what you need to focus on right now. Right now we need you to help calm Uraraka down. We can't get through to her but you can because of the bond you two have. Don't bring up anything that could trigger more traumatic memories and you should be fine. She's been given a light sedative but should still be partially awake. Are you ready?"

Deku stared at the highly concealed door that was just around the corner from the main infirmary. Was he ready to see her again after a whole month? The memory of her broken and bleeding body in his arms as they escaped the mansion remained in the forefront of his mind constantly. The nightmares he endured because of that left him always feeling tired and restless, even at night when he attempted to sleep a few hours without a night terror startling him awake. He wasn't sure what he was about to expect but he would brace himself for the worst. "Yes."

All Might led the way through another hidden door with cautious steps, stopping to listen into the room after cracking the door open. Once he deemed it safe to open, he pulled it all the way open before allowing Midoriya through first. The hero took slow, careful steps as he made his way past curtained sections of the room with bated breath. Aizawa heard the steps and leaned over to look before motioning for them to come in. A chair rolled across the floor as Recovery Girl scooted around, the sound of a pen scratching hastily on paper mixed with grumbles of dissatisfaction.

"I'm leaving the trouble child to you, Chiyo," Aizawa announced as soon as Deku appeared at the foot of the bed, the teacher quickly grabbing All Might and exiting the room before she could say a word. They needed to go over some things not meant for young ears.

"Ochaco's had some sedative so don't be surprised if she's not fully responsive right now, Midoriya. Just…take your time with her, she's working to come out of a medically induced coma." Recovery Girl instructed quietly before clasping his arm as she made to leave the room as well. She wasn't going to interrupt such a bittersweet reunion with her presence. "I'm going to step out for a bit to speak with those two so if anything happens, just let nurse Ayi know by pressing the button over there. Don't take anything to heart right now,"

"R-right, thank you."

The door shut silently and Deku shifted his full attention to Uraraka. Her eyes were closed but he was sure she was still awake and listening to the conversations. With a breath out he quietly sat on the stool resting beside her bed, the cushion letting out a small whoosh of air from the weight. Nearly half a dozen I.V. lines were running from both hands, the translucent tubes trailing up into different machines that held a generous amount of fluids in them. A heart monitor beeped quietly as it read off a normal heartrate and Deku watched it like a hawk for a few minutes. His nerves twitched with every rise or fall of the numbers on the screen and he had to remind himself that she was being well cared for under Recovery Girl. Uraraka looked fairly pale and a bit underweight, but that was to be expected from being under fluorescent lights for two months straight with little sunlight and restricted to a bed. Speaking of, he didn't exactly see any windows in the makeshift infirmary room. Perhaps for safety reasons in case the school was attacked. It made it feel a bit more like a prison cell.

"U-Uraraka, are you…awake?" Deku tried but had to clear his throat halfway through as his emotions threatened to take over. He kept his hands on his lap to try and control himself better, the fabric of his costume scrunching up. "I…w-we're all worried about you. Mina hasn't stopped crying, same for the other girls as well. Even the guys are worried but they don't show it as much. We've been waiting for you to wake up and…I-I wanted to apologize to you. For failing to protect you after I promised to. I'm sorry Uraraka, I'm so, so, sorry. You don't have to forgive me but I just wanted to let you know how bad I feel about this whole situation. N-not that any of it's your fault! It's not, not in the least! I don't want you to blame yourself for any of this—"

"De…ku…" Ochaco cracked her eyes open to look at her classmate, a hint of a smile twitching at her lips. She made to reach her hand up when his encased hers and rested it back on the bed, thumb carefully rubbing against her cold fingers. The tears welling in his eyes overflowed and he shielded his face with his free arm to hide them. "You okay?"

"D-don't worry about me, worry about yourself, Uraraka. Your injuries were far worse than mine," Deku sniffled as he quickly swiped at his face. Ochaco lolled her head in his direction and sluggishly studied his face. Dark circles, puffy eyes, his once full cheeks now slightly gaunt. She'd made him worry again. Tears began welling in her own eyes as the memory of her body shifting towards him in the battle with Paranoias moved to the forefront of her mind.

"I'm sorry…for stabbing you, Deku, and making you worry."

"Don't apologize for that, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault, Uraraka, so please don't blame yourself for any of it. Paranoias took control of your body and forced you to do it."

"He…was suffering inside," Ochaco whispered and Deku finally lowered his arm. "I could feel all of his emotions threatening to drown both of us…those tears shed weren't mine but his. He was so lonely and afraid of losing something that resembled his family once more. Even in the end he regretted his choices. I…begged them to let Yoshizawa go, told them Ronaldo was the one behind it all. Please, Deku, tell them it wasn't his fault. I know he can redeem himself.

Deku swallowed hard while biting the inside of his cheek. She didn't know. He'd tried to save him after realizing he wasn't the one behind everything yet in the end he'd failed. After Eraser Head jumped after him there was no telling what happened with his body, but he could only assume Dabi's flames had finished the job rather quickly. All Might hadn't mentioned anything about an autopsy but he doubted there was much left of the body. Uraraka noticed the sudden change then tilted her head upwards to look at the ceiling with realization washing over her. "He's gone, isn't he?"

"I'm sorry, I tried to catch him but he'd already passed on. We had to evacuate the building once we found you, ammonia was leaking throughout and we couldn't risk staying any longer. Your safety became top priority." Deku felt his heart clench tightly as the tears rolled down her face, grief distorting her expression. He couldn't imagine the pain she was feeling right now and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Yoshizawa…helped me escape from Ronaldo. He mentioned that the council had veered from its original path and that it was no longer something he wanted. What he wanted most was to have the love of his family and in the end, he got that. That's all I could hope for, Deku. I did the best I could by offering him peace within his soul." Ochaco sighed deeply while closing her eyes to avoid looking at his anguished face. It was more difficult than she thought to look at him, to see the fear, anxiety, grief, and every other mixed emotion he was showing on his sleeve. She wasn't the only one hurting, that she knew, but to see him like that reminded the brunette that she was the cause of that face.

"Are you getting tired again? Should I get the nurse or Recovery Girl?" Deku frantically asked when Uraraka remained unresponsive for a minute, the rise and fall of her chest slowing down to a nearly undetectable level. Slowly she shook her head before looking up at him again.

"I'm alright. I've been asleep for the past month, I want to stay awake as long as I can right now. Why are you in your costume?"

"We were about to go on a mission when All Might told me to come up here. He said you were getting frantic about trying to apologize for the stabbing. I forgive you for that, don't worry, I know it wasn't your fault." The teen added quickly when he noticed her brows furrowing the slightest bit in distress.

"Mission? There's another one?"

"O-Oh, yeah we just got word of it yesterday from Hawks actually. I think there's a hideout with villains related to the Quantum Council we're supposed to go raid but I won't be going on this one."

"Why not?" Ochaco tilted her head in confusion as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, emerald eyes darting everywhere but in her direction. His face flushed red so he lowered it for his bangs to cover his eyes as he stuttered out a string of random words.

"I-I uh didn't want to…l-leave you alone after you just woke up. If t-that's fine with you, of course. I figured you didn't want to be alone anymore since you were out for a month and the only person you see is Recovery Girl, so I'm sure she won't mind it but if you needed more rest then that's fine, I could come back another time—"

"You're rambling," Uraraka mused softly as he quickly corrected himself with a hand over his mouth, eyes apologetic. Her encased hand squeezed his slightly and he responded by carefully interlocking their fingers. Heat fluttered across her face as he gave a small, nervous grin that sent her heartrate spiking. The adoration was nearly palpable and she gave a weary smile in return. "You can stay as long as you want to, Deku."


Awwwwww! Onto the next chapter!